This Week

What Have I done this Week and What I Will Do.
I have done a lot of work on my new doll. Her face is finished, her body has one arm attached and quite a realistic pair of boobs. I have sewn the feet and have a left and right leg which is always good. Later today I will stuff them and might even get them sewn on. I do have Twisted Stitches tonight so that will slow me down a bit.
I am still thinking about her hair and how to place her for display.
I started painting some silk for her outfit using a technique from Fibre and Stitch. I’ll show that when it is done and before I cut it up. I am thinking a smocked dress would be pretty good.
I have spent a few hours playing with my granddaughters.
I spent quite a lot of time writing my Presidents Report for my Doll Clubs newsletter. I also had to write a Presidents report for the year as our AGM is coming up. I also worked out the challenges for the rest of the year and the format for our last Funday for the year in September. I doubt that we will continue with the monthly meetings, we don’t get a lot of members at them and petrol and time are precious commodities. It depends on what the new committee want to do as half of the current committee aren’t continuing and I am not running a meeting every month next year. Hopefully someone else will want to be President and I might have a shot at the newsletter as I have been writing a fair chunk of it this year to help out the current editor.
Greg and I went our last night for takeaway and then too see 'Mamma Mia' which was excellent.
I have read the new Nora Roberts ‘Tribute’ which was excellent as always and I have started to read ‘The Complete Idiots Guide to Getting your Romance Published.’ As that is a long time goal of mine and my daughter had the book so I borrowed it. It is actually a good read.
Washed, hung out and brought in two loads of washing. Quite a milestone as I am post-hysterectomy and haven’t done anything housework wise for months. I did this without any pain which is good but I did break something on the machine and now it won’t spin which is bad.
Cooked lots of Matt’s favourite foods as he is home for a week from Army stuff in East Timor.
I didn’t shop for food which I will have too do tomorrow as I go back to work on Thursday, so tonight we are having curried veg and rice which is fine as we both like vegie food and I didn’t get anything out of the freezer meat wise. Matt is staying with his girlfriend so he won’t be forced to eat vegie but he wouldn’t care anyway.
I am going to research SALA South Australian Living Artists as a advertising venue for our Quilt Exhibition next year. Attendances in November have fallen off for the last few years so moving it to another time of the year is our first port of call.
This week I am going back to work on Thursday and on Thursday night Greg and I are starting our art classes. We don't have anything we both do to discuss and let me tell you we don't have anything in common either.
then Friday I have work and then the Folk and Decorative Artists meeting. Then work on Saturday and Sunday. I am determined to have this doll together by Sunday and progress on her outfit as well. I need to plan out her shoes I have an idea but don't know if it will work or not.
Just another normal week here.

Tilly in the Tub

Here is a photo of Tilly's head, she is going to be a sleeping fairy for our display in November. I am using the Tilly in the Tub by Christine Treleaven. I have reduced the pattern as she is quite a big old girl. I got her eyelashes from our local discount store (Cheap as Chips for the Aussies) they cost $2.00.
I have made her body and I am going to stuff it tonight. I found a piece of silk in my stash and I am going to paint that for her costume.
My inspiration is from Shakespeare. 'I know a bank where the wild thyme grows and Titania sleeps'.
I know that Titania is supposed to be the beautiful fairy queen but Terry Pratchett fans know that the fey can be devious and my Titania is aging gracefully.
I was going to wait up for No 1 son's plane to land. He is coming home for 10 days from East Timor. His plane was delayed and he missed his connection in Sydney so he will now be landing about 8 am. His girlfriend is picking him up and bringing him up here. All the family are coming for dinner tomorrow night. Corned Beef with white sauce and then lemon meringue pie for dessert. His favourite. In fact all my kids would nominate corned beef or a good roast lamb as their favourite.

Saturday

Today I have started to paint a head for a doll. I am using Tilly in the Tub but dressing her. She is asleep but you'll have to wait and see. I am also changing her feet a little. I put a lycra overlay on her face. I also finished a flat face for my goddess doll. I painted it with textile medium to see what happens. Hopefully I haven't mucked it up. It is taking forever to dry. I also finished the last of my straight stitch pieces. I am now planning how to put them together.

Re My Day

Well I am not blogging every day but i am trying. Today I have tidied up the house a bit. I ahve searched the net and I have started to write my bit for the SA Cloth Doll Club Newsletter. I have tried to find a venue for a workshop later in the year and I have cooked an Apple and Pecan Scone loaf for tea tonight. It's been a busy day. I have also mounted my paisley piece on a frame so I can finish it. I drew all over it last night with a gold leaf pen. I am going to finish what I have started on it before I do any more on it. I also have too decide how to mount it. Too frame or not too frame. I also stamped on the orange piece for my Twisted Stitchers Group, I just need to stitch on it now. I surfed the net for a bit and found two new websites I like that are the top two on my links list. The day is not over yet and I have already had a busy day.

Sunday

Well here it is another week gone. Today was a fun day for my cloth doll group. Only 10 of us but we had a good time. Every one had a go at the flower face and have promised to bring them back completed. They will be part of our display in November.
Petrol is getting so expensive and we have decided to return to our bi-monthly meetings next year.
I have done little else today. Greg is cooking a roast and I am surfing the net.
I decided to plan out my work and I am going to expand on the stitch along that is happening on the Stitchin Fingers site. I am going to do a traditional sampler of each stitch and then stitch 3 pieces with that stitch. For my first stitch I am using straight stitch. I have stitched the samples. I already had a small black stitch house I did years ago and I am using that for the traditional piece. I have nearly finished my third piece it is a little garden done using all straight stitches and I want to finish that tonight and then start on my fourth piece. The fourth piece is going to be a paisley stitched on felt I made with a shisha mirror included. I have the design. I have bought a large folder from my favorite scrapbooking shop for this work. I am going to make a cover for it but that is still in the planning stage.

A flower a day

Today I have been working on a pattern for my doll group. Every year we exhibit at the Stitches and Craft in November. This year we are doing a Fairies in the Garden Display. The back drop will be a painted panel with Flower Fairies attached.
This is the prototype, inspired from a flower on Stephanie Novatski's blog